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KG Erwin -> My Most Unforgettable Baseball Moment (6/30/2006 5:15:12 AM)
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Let me take you back to a moment that was truly life-changing. 1988 wasn't the best year of my life. After a failed five-year relationship with an abusive girlfriend in a town that offered no hope for meaningful employment for me, I begged my parents to move back in with them. It was mortifying. I was 31 years old, and I had to rebuild my life and my self-respect.
So, I got a good job and met a nice girl. However, my mom, who had been in declining health for a few years, suddenly died of kidney failure in May 1988. We were all devastated, but it hit me particularly hard as I'd lived away from home for five years and seldom visited.
As this sad year wore on, I started following the Dodgers, who fought and scraped their way to the World Series.
October 15, 1988 -- game 1 of the WS against the heavily favored Oakland As. I was alone in the house, and watching the game. The As were leading 4-3 going into the bottom of the ninth. Most of you know what happened next.
Kirk Gibson, who was injured and could barely walk, was called up to pinch-hit for Alejandro Pena. Vin Scully was doing the TV broadcast. When Kirk hit it out , and I watched him hobbling around the bases, I felt an overwhelming sense of hope for my own future. Yes -- there IS magic in the world.
I have never forgotten that moment, and when things get rough, I think back and realize that with determination and a bit of luck, we all can get a second chance.
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